THE ANNUNCIATION
AND THE BLESSED VIRGIN’S CONSENT
(Part I of III)
An Advent Homily by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church
Who doubts that the praises we give to the Mother of God redound to the honour of the Son of God; and, in like manner, that in honouring the Son we are also honouring the Mother? For if, according to Solomon, “A wise son is the glory of the father”... Read More

On the Words to Ahaz:
“Ask Thee a Sign”
(Part II of II)
Advent Homily of St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Editor’s Note: In part I, we looked at Isaiah’s prophecy of the sign given by God Himself: a virgin who will give birth to Emmanuel. We also examined that, as opposed to Adam, Emmanuel would choose good and reject evil. Today, we will look at St. Bernard’s interpretation... Read More

On the Words to Ahaz:
“Ask Thee a Sign”
(Part I of II)
Advent Homily of St. Bernard of Clairvaux
“And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying: Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, either unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above. And Ahaz said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord.” (Isaiah 7:10-12)
WE have heard Isaiah persuading King Ahaz to ask for a sign... Read More

THE NATIVITY: Part II of II
“And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Judah: out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel; and His going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity. . . . And He shall stand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the height of the name of the Lord His God: and they shall be converted, for now... Read More

THE VISITATION
“And Mary, rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Judah. And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, and she cried out with a loud voice and said, Blessed art thou among women,... Read More

THE SALUTATION OF THE ANGEL
“And in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the Angel, being come in, said to her, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women.'” Luke 1:26-28
1. The evangelist... Read More

THE MARRIAGE OF OUR LADY
“As the Church is subject to Christ, so also let wives be subject to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church, and delivered Himself up for it; that He might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life; that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,... Read More

THE VISION TO ZACHARY
“Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice in his birth, for he shall be great before the Lord. . . . And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias,... Read More

THE MOTHER OF GOD
“The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways, before He made anything from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of old before the earth was made. The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived, neither had the fountains of water as yet sprung out, the mountains with their huge bulk had not been established, before the hills I was brought forth. He had... Read More

THE HOUSE OF DAVID
“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David his father: and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Luke 1:32-33
1. It is wonderful to notice in the prophecies of the Old Testament how, from the time of David onward, they settle down more and more upon... Read More

Listen in as Melissa shares some of her own personal prayer journey and a few of the difficulties she has encountered along the way. The post A Personal Prayer Journey – DI Radio Show and Podcast appeared first on SpiritualDirection.com / Catholic Spiritual Direction.

Listen in this week as Dan and Melissa discuss the importance of prayer with the saints as well as examine the meaning behind Jesus' words about a rich man entering heaven. The post Prayer with the Saints – DI Radio Show and Podcast appeared first on SpiritualDirection.com / Catholic Spiritual Direction.

This week, listen in as Dan and Melissa share their own personal stories of difficulties and progress in prayer. The post Personal Stories of Difficulties and Progress in Prayer appeared first on SpiritualDirection.com / Catholic Spiritual Direction.